Great Leap Forward

The appointment of national security adviser Ajit Doval as India's special representative for boundary talks with China comes after this important post lay empty for a while.

But overall, the PMO has been bringing dynamism and innovation to the country's foreign policy .

Since assuming office Prime Minister Narendra Modi has displayed an ability to take out-of-box decisions on the foreign policy front- ­ be it his invite to Saarc leaders for his swearing-in ceremony or his recent visit to Fiji representing India's new `Act East' emphasis.

Such fresh thinking is precisely what is needed to solve the long standing border dispute with China.

Hither to New Delhi and Beijing have held 17 rounds of fruitless boundary negotiations.

This has allowed for periodic border incidents such as the Ladakh incursion by Chinese troops during President Xi Jinping's India tour earlier this year.

A permanent solution to the problem would require both sides to adopt a pragmatic approach.

In this regard, the most realistic plan would settle the border roughly along the present line of actual control, give or take a few geographical alignments.

Given BJP's and Doval's hawkish image, the government is ideally placed to strike a deal with Beijing without being accused of compromising national interests.

BJP enjoys the additional advantage of a majority in the Lok Sabha.

Modi’s government should be able to bypass fixed parameters and Nehruvian dogmas that guided previous Congress-led governments, such as fealty to the McMahon line which has no historical validation.

A deal with China would not only usher in a new era of India-China cooperation but also provide momentum to resolve other border disputes with India's neig-hbours, including even Pakistan.